North Texas

1-1
Latest
Tayven Jackson Named North Texas Starting QB for Week 1 Game at Indianaour readNorth Texas has climbed into dynasty-caliber territory — into the top 63% of FBS by power rating over the last three seasons, up from the top 63% a year ago.our read

American Athletic · Neal Brown, year 1 (1-1) · DATCU Stadium · 30,850 · 20,331 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The model#105 CFB ZeitgeistSP+ #115 (-13.2) · FPI #63
The marketTexas State by 3at Texas State · our model 19% North Texas · a number, not a pick

LastW 44–6 vs UNLV · Sat Sep 12 · Jahiem White 124 rush yds, 1 TD, 34 rec yds

Nextat Texas State · Sat Sep 19 · 12 pm ET · Bobcat Stadium (TX) · Texas State by 3 · series 0-1 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Zeitgeist statureRegional Program III#179 all-time– holding
The era · 2014 through 2025

The CFP Era

12 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 72-78 12 seasons
Best season 12-2 2025
TRAJECTORY · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program Quality AP Rank (inverted) CFP Appearance
'14'16'18'20'22'24NOW
CHAPTERS · 12 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 4-8 '15 1-11 '16 5-8 '17 9-5 '18 9-4 '19 4-8 '20 4-5 '21 6-6 '22 7-7 '23 5-7 '24 6-7 '25 12-2

North Texas's 2014–2025 record is 72-78. The era is still being written; the CFP line is the one the program is arguing for.

Era win %
.480
Ranked seasons (AP)
1/12
Best AP finish
#23

Program outlook

North Texas went 12-2 in 2025, cracked the AP poll for the first time since 1959, and produced a Burlsworth Trophy quarterback. Then the coach who built it left for Oklahoma State and took the quarterback with him. That is the Mean Green in one paragraph.

Read the full essay — 3 more paragraphs

The name came from Joe Greene. In the late 1960s, North Texas's defense was so punishing that opponents started calling them the 'Mean Green' — and when Greene went to Pittsburgh and became 'Mean Joe Greene,' the Steelers Hall of Famer carried the Denton program's identity into the NFL's permanent vocabulary. That is the weight behind the name. Four consecutive Sun Belt championships from 2001 to 2004 under Darrell Dickey added the conference dimension. A new on-campus stadium in 2011 added a home. The ingredients for relevance were always present in the recruit-rich DFW Metroplex; what the program needed was the right coach to convert proximity to talent into production.

Eric Morris converted it. A 12-2 2025 season — 7-1 in the American — with Drew Mestemaker winning the Burlsworth Trophy and leading the FBS in passing, an AP ranking for the first time since Eisenhower was president, and an American title game berth (a 34-21 loss to Tulane) before a 49-47 New Mexico Bowl win over San Diego State. Then Morris left for Oklahoma State before the bowl game, and Mestemaker followed him to Stillwater. The program's best season in history ended with the architects walking out the door while the confetti was still in the air.

The 2026 question is the hardest one in the American Conference: can North Texas sustain a breakthrough after losing both the coach who built it and the quarterback who ran it? New staff, new signal-caller, the same DFW talent pool that Morris exploited sitting right there in the Metroplex. The fanbase believes the foundation is real. The historical precedent — programs that peak and regress when a coach leaves — cuts the other way. What 2026 will answer is which of those stories applies to Denton.

On the field

High-octane Air Raid passing under Eric Morris — North Texas's 2025 identity was wide-open, spread formations, quick reads, and Drew Mestemaker distributing the ball to skill players who created after the catch. The DFW Metroplex provides the receiver and skill-position talent to run this system at a G5 level; the question is whether the new staff installs a similar scheme or pivots toward something the next quarterback fits better. DATCU Stadium in Denton is a wind-turbine-powered on-campus venue that gave the program a home-field identity it lacked during its decades at off-campus Fouts Field.

program outlook · as of 2026-06-14

All-time record · North Texas

North Texas has won 41% of its games since 1914 — 59% at home, 29% on the road.

324-448-12 all-time · 105 seasons · 1914–2026

Home 191-127-6
Away 130-308-6
Neutral 3-13
3 g 1910s
0% 1920s
6% 1930s
29% 1940s
55% 1950s
53% 1960s
45% 1970s
31% 1980s
28% 1990s
35% 2000s
42% 2010s
53% 2020s

Coaching Era · North Texas

Neal Brown

Neal Brown took over from Drew Svoboda (interim) for the 2026 season.

Era Neal Brown · 2026–presentPrev: Drew Svoboda (interim) (2025)OC: Mike BloeschPrev OC: Jordan Davis (2023–2025)DC: co-Bradley Dale Peveto / Matt PowledgePrev DC: Skyler Cassity (2025)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
1 year · era

Program memory

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

2004

Four straight Sun Belt titles

North Texas caps four consecutive conference championships under Darrell Dickey, a rare college feat

2025

Ranked for the first time since 1959

The Mean Green crack the AP poll, ending the longest active ranking drought of any FBS program

2025

Morris leaves for Oklahoma State

After the best regular season ever, head coach Eric Morris departs for a power-conference job, QB Drew Mestemaker following him

Heartbreak

Moment of the season — so far · North Texas · 2026

Lost 16-52 at Indiana

Week 1 of 2026. A reckoning loss — the data point the next season must answer.

Decisive Marginvs Top-10 (#6)

More in this tab

Ladder finishHow far up the ladder this season got.

Season standing · 2026 · 1-1

North Texas is 1-1 and unranked in the season's first weeks.

Even or better through the season's first weeks. The resume is still forming.

Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Coaching historyEvery hire and departure on record, not just the current era.

Coaching history

  • Hired Drew Svoboda (interim)2025
  • Hired Neal Brown2026
  • Eric Morris departs22-16, 3 seasons
  • Drew Svoboda departs (interim)1-0, 1 season
  • Hired Eric Morris2023
  • Hired Phil Bennett (interim)2022
  • Seth Littrell departs44-44, 7 seasons
  • Phil Bennett departs (interim)0-1, 1 season
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Unit lineage

North Texas’s offense and defense, by coordinator

FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.

Offense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014 · Mike Canales2015 · Mike Canales2016–2018 · Graham Harrell2019 · Bodie Reeder / co-Tommy Mainord2020–2022 · co-Tommy Mainord / co-Mike Bloesch2023–2025 · Jordan Davis2026 · Mike Bloesch
Defense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014 · John Skladany2015 · Chris Cosh2016 · Mike Ekeler / co-Troy Reffett2017–2019 · Troy Reffett2020 · Clint Bowen2021 · Phil Bennett2022 · co-Jim Gush / Phil Bennett2023–2024 · Matt Caponi2025 · Skyler Cassity2026 · co-Bradley Dale Peveto / Matt Powledge
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.

Joe Greene 'Mean Green' Origin (1966-1968)

since 1966

more

Joe Greene — defensive tackle at North Texas 1966-1968, #4 NFL draft 1969 — was the original inspiration for the 'Mean Green' nickname. Greene's Hall of Fame NFL career (4 Super Bowls with Pittsburgh Steelers, 'Mean Joe Greene') + the Coca-Cola commercial + the retired #75 jersey make the nickname permanent program identity.

Darrell Dickey 4 Sun Belt Titles (2001-2004)

since 2001

more

Darrell Dickey's 2001-2004 4 consecutive Sun Belt championships + multiple bowl appearances was the program's modern peak. The era's competitive cycles + the recruiting reach into Texas + the New Orleans Bowl appearances opened the modern Sun Belt G5 ascent narrative.

Apogee Stadium 2011

since 2011

more

Apogee Stadium (built 2011) — North Texas's first dedicated on-campus football venue + the modern facility — replaced decades at Fouts Field. The 30,850 capacity + the LEED Platinum sustainability rating + the modern construction + the Denton setting create a venue distinct from larger flagship-state programs.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsEvery bowl this program's played, and how it did.

Bowl / Postseason Ledger

Recent postseason (2016-2025): 1-7

Most recent: 2025 — win 47-49 (away). Last 5 postseason: 1-4.

20252024202220212020
Reddit blowupsThe plays that blew up on r/CFB.

r/cfb moments

1.7k
[Postgame Thread] USF Defeats North Texas 63-36
Oct 2025 · r/cfb
548
[Postgame Thread] North Texas Defeats Army 45-38 (OT)
Sep 2025 · r/cfb
472
[Postgame Thread] Appalachian State Defeats North Texas 56-28
Dec 2020 · r/cfb
462
[Postgame Thread] North Texas Defeats Navy 31-17
Nov 2025 · r/cfb
230
[Postgame Thread] SMU Defeats North Texas 65-35
Sep 2020 · r/cfb

All-time top community posts · ranked by upvotes

This page may include content derived from public news sources, social media, and fan communities. We relay these sources as-is — we are not reporting them. Sources may be summarized or quoted imperfectly; for anything that matters, go look at the original source directly. The original source may also be wrong. AI-generated content is labeled and may contain factual errors. All analysis is editorial opinion, not professional reporting. Data sources · About this site